The New Girl
by mishalina
Summary: A new half-blood has joined camp: a sixteen-year-old daughter of Athena. Building everyone's trust quickly, she rises to the top of the popularity chain. But when things start to go horribly wrong, Annabeth and Percy start to wonder: can she be trusted?
1. Maya Comes to Camp

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.**_

Annabeth had been walking through a dark hallway when she heard whispers coming from the door beside her. She pressed herself against the wall, struggling to hear what was going on.

"_. . . she has wronged me . . . You are one of only two so powerful . . . you must aid me. She must pay . . . her prized possessions. Make them suffer . . . In return, you will . . ._" hissed one voice.

"_Swear on the Styx,_" came a louder, less cautious voice.

"_I swear upon the Styx that if you do what I ask, you will not be harmed. Satisfied?_" the other voice returned, sounding slightly agitated.

"_Agreed._"

Annabeth woke up from the strange dream slightly disoriented and began to follow her daily camp routine.

* * *

Chiron had called a camp meeting right after lunch to introduce the newest camper.

"Everyone give a warm welcome to Maya Macri, our newest half-blood all the way from Texas!" Chiron paused as everyone clapped. "She has been claimed by Athena, so . . . Annabeth! Why don't you and Percy show her around camp?" he asked Annabeth.

"We'd love to!" she grinned, winking at Percy. The two of them had practically become the welcoming committee for the new campers. Chiron really trusted them.

* * *

Maya had orange curly hair with nearly invisible blond highlights - obviously dyed, because all children of Athena had completely blond hair. She had the normal gray eyes which they all had, and wore a spaghetti-strap tunic length top paired with a sheer shrug and black leggings. An interesting style, Annabeth thought. She looked about thirteen years old, maybe old for her age, but Annabeth wasn't sure.

"How old are you?" she decided to ask Maya as she and Percy proceeded to give her a tour.

"Sixteen." She was a lot older than she looked!

"Oh! When's your birthday?"

"Next month. The eighteenth of July," she informed her. She had a southern drawl, which made sense if she was from Texas, but there was a different sound mixed in, something that almost sounded like a New Yorker's accent. Annabeth wondered about her roots.

"But gods and goddesses are supposed to claim their children before they're twelve years old!" Percy exclaimed. Of course he would get upset at this. He was the one who had asked the gods to enforce that particular law.

"Oh, my dad's always known. He told me what I was when I was little. He just didn't want to take me to camp. There are less monsters in Texas." Maya's voice quivered slightly when she mentioned her father.

"And how much do you know about all of this half-blood stuff?" Percy questioned.

"A lot. Like I said, my dad's been teaching me since I was a little kid. He gave me this notebook from my mom, Athena, to read on the drive from Houston. It explains pretty much everything else."

"Whoa, that's a long drive!" Annabeth said.

"Yeah," Maya agreed.

"So, this notebook . . . Can we see it? I mean, if it teaches kids about being half-bloods, maybe we should show Chiron. Get him to make it available to other mortal parents, so their demi-god children can understand before they get here. It would save a lot of time," Percy informed Annabeth. Annabeth nodded.

"Oh, sure!" Maya exclaimed. "It's in my suitcase, in the Athena cabin. Do you want to go get it now?"

"Nah, later. Chiron's busy teaching Ancient Greek. He's taking my job so we can show you around. But thanks!" Annabeth smiled.

"So . . . what did your dad teach you?" asked Percy, breaking the awkward silence.

"Well, he taught me how to fight with battle gear . . . And Greek. He taught me Ancient Greek. And lots more."

"Well, sounds like you're pretty much up to speed with a lot of the normal half-blood stuff! Anything you want to know about camp?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, when do we get to go outside?" With her accent, it sounded like _outsahhde_.

"Outside?" Percy asked, confused.

"Outside of camp," said Maya.

"Oh. Umm . . . well, pretty much only when you're given a quest."

"And when can I get one?"

Percy felt sorry to have to break it to her that many campers never got quests, but he had to. Maya looked kind of disappointed. "But this isn't, like, a year-round thing. Almost all of us go home for school. I mean, unless you _want_ to stay all year . . ." Percy explained.

"I guess I have to. I really have no one to stay with," Maya said sadly.

"What do you mean?" asked Annabeth, eyes filled with concern. "I thought you said . . . I mean . . . Your dad?"

"My dad . . . well . . . died a couple months ago. I've been staying with my Aunt Rose, his twin sister. That's really why we moved to Texas in the first place, where she lives, so I could have a 'motherly figure' in my life. I'm a born New Yorker, you know, but we moved there when I was a baby. She doesn't have time to look after me anymore, so she drove me to Camp Half-Blood and here I am!" Maya barely took a breath after the first sentence. She felt like crying again, but she wanted to look strong for Annabeth and Percy, so she rushed her words in order to keep from letting out sobs.

"I'm . . . so sorry," Percy said, moving closer to Maya. He put a hand on her shoulder, trying awkwardly to comfort her. No one said anything for a while.

"So . . . Are the two of y'all . . . dating?" asked Maya, a hint of hopefulness hiding in her voice as she stared at Percy.

"Yes!" Annabeth said quickly, grabbing Percy's hand. She tried to look possessive, not wanting Maya to assume she could steal him away from her.

"Oh," Maya said, obviously disappointed. She dropped the subject completely, but Annabeth stayed extra close to Percy for a long time after that, just in case.

"Percy and I will test you after our tour so you can get placed into a schedule for some electives. Hopefully, you'll be able to jump right in with our age group!" Annabeth said, cutting into the silence.

"Sounds like fun!" Maya exclaimed.

When the tour had concluded, Percy and Annabeth took Maya around to each of the classes and electives in order to place her into a proper group for her skill level. Sword fighting was first, and Percy and Annabeth were both going to test her. Annabeth went first, and beat her within two minutes, but when Percy began to fight with her, he kept going blank. It was as if some invisible force kept instructing him to allow Maya to win. He ended up flat on his back, sword-less.

Annabeth was mystified. She was the only one who could ever beat Percy, and when Maya beat him so easily, it was a disgrace. She didn't like it. It made Percy seem weaker.

Percy, however, could only remember bits and pieces of the fight - the parts where he had been winning. He thought it was extremely odd, but he shook it off, and decided to place her into the same class as him and Annabeth - the top of the camp.

Maya placed high in most of the classes, often joining Percy and Annabeth's classes with other campers who had been at camp multiple years in a row. She was amazing! Her dad must have known a lot, meaning Athena must have _really_ favoured him. Annabeth was slightly jealous.

Finally, when her schedule had been built, they showed her to the Athena cabin and helped her arrange her stuff. They showed Maya's notebook to Chiron, who thought it was a great idea to give to parents of young half-bloods.

Annabeth decided she would be a great friend, and Percy thought so, too. All three demi-gods fell asleep with smiles on their faces, and they would awake ready for a new day.

_**Thank you all for reading! Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


	2. Percy Messes Up, Big Time

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.**_

_M_aya quickly got into her schedule the next day, and she found that she had been placed in the perfect classes for her skill level. She wasn't able to beat Percy again, but she came close, and Percy applauded her efforts. Though he would _never_ betray Annabeth, he had to admit he found her pretty hot, and he loved her accent. She was good at _everything_! Annabeth had put any hints of jealousy aside the day before, and she was finding Maya really fun to be around. She thought of her as a new best friend.

_**

* * *

**_"Did you hear what happened to Sarah?" came whispers all around Annabeth as she walked towards the mess hall for lunch. "I hear she's going to be stuck in her cabin for the rest of the week."

"I hear the poison's killing her!" Sarah was a nine-year-old daughter of Athena whom Annabeth had taken under her wing at the beginning of the summer. Percy ran up to Annabeth.

"Annabeth, come quick! Sarah-" said Percy. He was cut off by Annabeth's "What about Sarah?"

"She was bitten my some sort of weird poisonous bug. She's stuck in her cabin."

"When did this happen?" Annabeth asked, concern forcing her eyes to pool with tears. Sarah was such a sweet little girl, Annabeth couldn't bear to think of her suffering.

"A little under an hour ago, Chiron thinks." Annabeth ran towards her cabin at top speed with Percy at her heels, barely glancing back.

Little Sarah Sterling was laying in her bottom bunk bed, groaning and moaning. Chiron stood by her bed, looking extremely concerned. Annabeth could see that her face was pale and there was a bright red bite mark on her wrist. Her arm was swollen and red all the way to her elbow. Annabeth gasped.

"What the Hade- Oh. I mean . . ." Her voice dropped to a whisper when Percy signaled that she was sleeping. "What happened, Chiron?"

"She has some sort of poisonous bite. It's spreading really quickly," Percy answered for him.

"I can _see_ that, Seaweed Brain, but how _is she_?"

"I'm sorry to tell you, but she is really bad. She has a high fever and she was having trouble breathing before she fell asleep. I do not know what to do. No one has seen anything like this before, not even me. Dionysus swears he doesn't know how to fix it. If a god doesn't know, I really don't know what will help her. I think she might not make it, unless we can figure this out," explained Chiron.

"How fast is it spreading?"

"I can guess that at this rate it will be about two days before it spreads all the way through her body. Even if we can fix it, she will probably be sick for a long time after that. I am sorry, Annabeth." Silent tears had begun to stream down Annabeth's face. From behind her, Percy rubbed her back comfortingly.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered softly into her ear.

"What can we do to help?" Annabeth asked Chiron.

"Right now? Go help with lunch. Teach Greek. Go to your classes. Comfort the others. There may not be much we can do for her, so the best thing is to give her peace and quiet. I will move her to the Big House for the night so she will be more comfortable. But, please. Just pretend everything is okay, for the sake of the others. You are two of the oldest half-bloods here, and you must set an example."

Percy nodded and pulled Annabeth by the hand towards the door. Annabeth dumbly followed. Percy had never seen her like this before. How could such a young child be fine one minute and dying the next? Annabeth couldn't understand it. She didn't want to do anything else for the rest of the day, but Chiron was right. She had to set an example.

* * *

A dark shadow loomed in the bushes. A young girl. She watched the campers go about their business. It was two minutes to curfew, and everyone was rushing to get to their cabins for fear of the harpies. She grinned when She spotted the half-blood She wanted. Jordin Lowe, a daughter of Dionysus. She was entering her cabin. The Girl had heard rumours of a party in the Dionysus cabin, and She was going to take advantage of it. She concentrated as hard as She could, reaching out to brush against the demi-god's mind and project ideas into her pretty little head. _Go to Percy Jackson. Invite him to your party._ Jordin dumbly followed the commands, finding Percy on his way to his cabin.

"Hey, Percy," Jordin whispered, "Come to our party."

"I promised Annabeth that-" Percy's thought was cut off by the Girl's brushing of his mind. _Say yes. Go with her. _Percy obeyed stupidly. The best part about all of this was that he wouldn't even remember any of it. Often, it was a curse that Her victims wouldn't remember anything. Today, and on many other occasions that would soon take place, it was a blessing, a plus which meant She wouldn't have to attempt to remove his memories later. She smiled when Percy allowed himself to be led into the Dionysus cabin, where they were already breaking camp rules by taking out the alcohol.

"Want a drink?" asked another son of Dionysus to Percy. _Say yes,_ the Girl urged, _Drink lots_. Percy agreed, grabbing an entire bottle from the half-blood's hand and beginning to chug. The Girl smiled as she went to her cabin. The effort of controlling the half-bloods hadn't taken too much of a toll on Her physical well-being. She was glad. She would need Her strength for the next day.

Now all She would have to do was wait until Annabeth went looking for Percy . . .

* * *

"Percy? Percy?" Annabeth whispered into the night. He should have been there! They were supposed to meet behind his cabin just before would avoid the harpies and go down to the lake, as they had a few other times already that month. She peeked into his cabin, but all she saw was Tyson sleeping.

Wait. What was that? She listened closer and followed her ears to the Dionysus cabin. _Ugh. They're having a party,_ Annabeth thought. It was pretty loud in there, and she was surprised no one else seemed to be able to hear it. Annabeth peeked into the window. Boys and girls alike were drinking alcohol, and an assortment of cans and bottles littered the floor. She was sure the party couldn't have started more than two minutes before, yet there were _so many_ empty bottles! They were crazy!

Annabeth was about to turn away in disgust when something caught her eye. A boy with wild black hair and sea-coloured eyes was perched on top of a bunk bed, attempting to balance on the edge. He was so out of place that she _had_ to have noticed him. Percy.

Annabeth stormed into the cabin angrily. Fifteen confused pairs of unfocused eyes stared questioningly at her. "PERCY?! GET DOWN FROM THERE!" she yelled. He got down. "WHAT THE HADES WERE YOU THINKING?" she asked him.

"I . . . Well . . . Umm . . ." Percy tried to answer, but he couldn't remember what he was thinking. He must have drank a lot, he could barely remember anything!

"UGH! Come on. We're going." Annabeth grabbed Percy by the hand, enraged. How could he be so stupid? How could he go so low? Drinking at _camp_?

"Annabeth . . . I-" Percy started. Annabeth waved her hand in front of her face, trying desperately to get fresh air. Percy's breath stank.

"We'll talk later, when you're sober. Get to bed, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth practically pushed him into his cabin and stormed back to her own. She was surprised the harpies hadn't come after her yet, but she was too worked up to think about it. She had even forgotten about little Sarah! Percy? Drinking? The two didn't mix! He had said himself that he would never take a drink in his life! What had he been _thinking_?

_**Thank you all for reading! Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


	3. A Good Evil Mastermind

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.**_

Annabeth woke up early the next morning and rushed to the Big House to see how Sarah was doing. Chiron explained a little to her before he let her in the room.

"She is getting worse, but the poison is slowing. It seems as if her body's natural defenses are attempting to come to the rescue. We will see soon enough if it slows down enough to figure out what it is. Go ahead and see her, but she's still sleeping," said Chiron.

Annabeth stared at the young girl lying so peacefully in the comfortable bed. Her arm was still swollen and red, her face still pale, but the redness hadn't creeped much farther up her arm, and she was definitely looking better. Some Nectar and Ambrosia sat on the bedside table, ready for when she awoke. Satisfied, Annabeth turned away to get ready for the day. It was breakfast time, and she was hungry.

* * *

"Percy? Percy, wake up," Annabeth hissed. Percy opened his eyes to find his cabin empty, except for Annabeth, who's blond curly hair was tickling his face as she leaned down to shake him out of his reverie. As he tried to sit up, his head pounded and black spots obscured his vision for a little bit.

"Whoa, Percy. Don't want to rush it," Annabeth pushed him back onto the bed gently. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Ugh, yeah, except for this massive headache . . ." Percy replied, attempting to sit up again. Annabeth laughed, but not in a nice way.

"That's the price you chose to pay when you decided to join their party and ditch_ me_! What the Hades is wrong with you, Seaweed Brain?" she asked, anger rising up in her again as she remembered the way he had acted the night before.

"What? I don't remember that!" Percy protested.

"Hah! All this and you're going to tell me you _don't remember_?" said Annabeth. She turned on her heel and walked towards the cabin door, saying, "I shouldn't be here anyways. It's against camp rules. You might as well not talk to me unless you're going to apologize . . ." She was acting unlike herself, but she couldn't believe he had the nerve to tell her that he _didn't remember_!

"Annabeth, wait!" Percy called before she could leave. "Let me explain!" Annabeth paused and turned around.

"And what is it that you're going to explain?"

"I'm sorry. I really don't remember anything until you came into the cabin. The last thing I do remember is sneaking off to find you. But what I did was wrong. I should never have done it. I don't know why I did it, and I can't remember doing it, but I definitely shouldn't have done it. I never wanted to drink, and you know I've always said I would rather die. I just wish I could remember . . . How in the world would anyone have talked me into drinking? It's so . . . unlike me!"

"Annabeth studied the expression on his face for what seemed like hours. "I forgive you, Percy. But you really need to try to remember!" Percy nodded.

"I'll try. What time is it, anyways?"

"After breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Well, you'd better hurry, before they clean up all the food!" Annabeth said. "I have to go teach Greek."

"Okay." Percy waited for her to leave, so he could get dressed. As she was opening the door, she stopped and walked back to Percy, until her face was inches from his.

"Don't you dare do anything like that ever again," she said.

"I won't," Percy promised fervently. Their lips met for a few seconds before Annabeth turned to leave.

"I'll hold you to that," she mumbled on her way out.

* * *

Annabeth was on her way to lunch when she heard a voice coming from behind the cabins.

"Hi Dad! Yeah I'm doing great! How are you?" Annabeth recognized the voice as belonging to Alissa Renouva, one of her half-sisters. Judging from the pauses she kept taking, she was talking on the phone. Annabeth kept herself flat against the Athena cabin as she listened in.

"Yeah, Dad, camp is going great! Yeah, everything's fine . . . Of course I'm behaving! What are you talking about?" Alissa paused for a long time, and the next time she spoke, her voice came out in a wail.

"No, dad, I would _never_ do that! No, they're lying! That's not true! Who told you this?"

* * *

The Girl was pressed against the other side of the cabin, concentrating on one thing, and one thing only: making Alissa Renouva believe she was hearing her father's voice.

"Kat Fishers called and told me. She was absolutely certain," The Girl said.

"What? Kat is my best friend! She would _never_ spread rumours about me! And why would _she_ call _you_?" wailed Alissa.

"I honestly have no idea. But I believe her. You're grounded when you get back."

"But I didn't _do_ it!"

"You've lied to me before. You're untrustworthy, and I can't believe you. You're grounded from everything until you're married. Friends, sports, parties . . ." said The Girl.

"But I don't even _like_ sports!"

"You're grounded from them anyways. You're a good girl, but you must be taught that lying is _never_ the option, especially about things like this."

"Dad!" Alissa called, but The Girl had already hung up.

* * *

Annabeth showed herself when Alissa began to cry. The poor girl was staring at her still-open cellphone with tears running down her face freely. Annabeth put an arm around her to comfort her.

"What happened, Alissa, Honey?"

"My dad just . . . told me I was untrustworthy . . . and that I did something . . . terrible . . . I'm grounded for _life_!" Alissa said between sobs.

"Aw, it's gonna be okay, 'Lissa. Don't worry," Annabeth comforted. Another half-blood hurt. Why was this happening? "Alissa, it's time to go to lunch, Hon. Are you coming?" Alissa thought for a moment before responding.

"I think . . . I'll stay in the cabin. I'm not very hungry," she sniffled. Annabeth nodded in understanding and left her, walking towards the mess hall with a heavy heart.

* * *

Out of the twenty Athena campers, only eleven were eating at the mess hall. Annabeth knew about Sarah and Alissa, but shat about everyone else? Where had they gone? It was unsettling!

"Where _is_ everybody?" asked Brayden, one of Annabeth's half brothers.

"I don't know . . ." answered Annabeth, furrowing her brow. At that moment, Chiron trotted up and whispered into her ear.

"Annabeth, Dionysus had to leave and I must prepare for the next classes. I'm leaving you, Grover and Percy in charge, so please keep control of the children." With that, he galloped away.

"What was that about?" asked Maya, who had just sat down on Annabeth's right.

"Oh, Chiron just left me in charge for the rest of lunch . . ." Annabeth said, but her mind wasn't on it. Her hand was barely her own as she carried forkfuls of spaghetti into her mouth, wondering what was going on.

* * *

Maya smiled innocently at the campers around her, but she was really concentrating on her next trick. Next on her list was Brayden, a son of Athena who had been dating Aliya, a daughter of Aphrodite. That was the most she knew about him, and it was as good information as any. The best way to hurt someone was to target the heart. As Maya absentmindedly (literally) ate, she reached out to brush against Aliya's mind, telling her what to do. _Dump Brayden. Make it as real as possible._

Maya kept her mind entwined with Aliya's as she willed her to get up and walk towards the Athena table. When she was satisfied with the outcome, she would pull out of her mind, but for now Aliya needed more encouragement or else she would fight it.

* * *

Aliya Saunders was walking over to Brayden with a grim expression on her face. Annabeth could do nothing but stare as Aliya boldly said, "We're done."

"What?" Brayden asked, certain he'd heard incorrectly.

"We're over. Done. The relationship is broken," Aliya said, not betraying a hint of emotion.

"I- but- We've been dating for three _years_! _Why_?"

"I just . . . Can't do this anymore," was Aliya's reply. With that, she turned on her heel and sauntered back towards her table with a sniff, sitting down and eating as if nothing had ever happened.

"Are you okay?" asked Maya comfortingly to Brayden.

"My girlfriend just dumped me without even telling me she was sorry. No. I'm not." Brayden picked up his tray, dropping it off in the bin on his way out of the mess hall. Everyone stared at their plates, unsure of what to say or do.

Percy came over and sat down. "What just happened?" he asked.

"Brayden got . . . dumped," Annabeth answered. Percy looked down at the floor.

"Oh."

* * *

This was the perfect opportunity! Maya brushed against Percy's mind and found that it was easily accessible. After what he had done the night before, she had almost been sure that Annabeth would end their relationship, but she was wrong. Their bond was stronger than that, and even Percy doing something he had always promised Annabeth he would never do couldn't break them apart. That was why she needed to make a greater plan.

Maya willed Percy to make an excuse and leave the mess hall. He obeyed, telling Annabeth that, if he wasn't back in two minutes, she should come looking for him. A few minutes later, Maya also excused herself and followed Percy towards the cabins. _This is going to be a real challenge . . ._ she thought, realizing that she was going to have to control more than one person if this was going to work.

She compelled Percy to go behind the cabin: a place that was filled with many secrets. It was the place in which Percy and Annabeth met often in the night to take a quiet walk by the sea, and often, to take a midnight swim. It was a place in which many campers met in secret when they weren't ready to let the world know they were dating. It was a hideout, a place where Chiron and Mr. D. never looked.

Maya thought very hard about what she wanted. She focused hard on making a ten-foot radius of glamour. Anyone who stepped inside the little bubble would mistake her for someone else.

"Oh, hey Percy! I've been waiting for you!" Maya told him.

"Clarrise?" he asked. _Good. The glamour works_, she thought.

"Yes," she said. _Come here and kiss me._

Percy followed her mental orders immediately, closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to hers. Backing her into the wall at her command, he slowly moved his hands to rest on her hips, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. _I wish this wasn't just for show. I wish I could enjoy this, _thought Maya. Unfortunately, she knew Percy would never betray Annabeth on his own accord.

_Come on, Annabeth. Any day, now. _Annabeth hadn't found them yet. Maya would have to search for her mind and will her to find them. She scanned the camp and found her close. _Good, _she thought, _now I won't have to do so much work._ The farther away the victim, the more concentration it took, and it was taking all the willpower she had to keep from just melting into Percy's touch and forgetting Annabeth_. _

_We're behind the cabins, _she told Annabeth. _Come find us._

Annabeth did.

* * *

As if on an invisible string, Annabeth was drawn behind the cabins. _Percy wouldn't be here. He just left lunch for a moment, that's all. Why am I even looking here?_ she wondered to herself, but she kept going anyways. Nothing she knew could ever prepare her for what she saw next.

Clarisse was there, pressed against the wall by Percy. He had one of his hands tangled in her hair and the other one on her hip, while she cupped his face in her hands. Their lips were together and their eyes were closed, completely oblivious to the world around them.

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She couldn't believe her eyes. Tears welled up and began to spill down her face as she turned and ran towards her cabin: the only place she knew of where he wasn't supposed to go. She never wanted to see him again.

* * *

Maya grinned as she pulled away from Percy.

"You were in the bathroom," she told him. "You are going back to lunch now." Percy did.

"My work here is done," Maya said aloud, grinning wickedly."I make a good evil mastermind." The grin disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"I wish I didn't have to do it, so I hope you're happy," she added as a prayer to the terrible blackmailing goddess of revenge. Then she followed Percy to lunch as if nothing had ever happened.

_**Thank you all for reading! Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


	4. Wounded

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.**_

_Dear Trash Can,_

_Hello. I'm writing this to you because you're the only one here. Well, yeah, everyone else is here, and sleeping, but I can't tell them what I saw. So I think the best way to get my feelings out is to write to you._

_I just saw my boyfriend kissing Clarisse. Yeah, I know that sounds completely unbelievable, but it's true. Kinda weird, because Clarisse and I have almost become friends, and now she just turns on me by letting Percy kiss her. But what's weirder is that Percy was kissing her. Since when did he act so . . . unlike himself! I mean, just yesterday I caught him doing something he told me he would never do: drink alcohol. But he did anyways. And he told me he would never go behind my back for anything, yet there he was. Kissing Clarisse right behind my very cabin. _

_I feel like punching something._

_But if it's so unlike him, how am I to know if it's really him at all? Is it? Well, I guess I would know what my own boyfriend looks like from behind, and I know it was Clarisse I saw, so I guess it really was true. There I go again. I desperately want to believe that what I saw was a dream or an optical illusion, but it's impossible. I might as well wish for pigs to fly._

_By now the pen's ink is running all over the page because of my tears, so I guess it won't do much good to write anymore. So, Trash Can, I regretfully inform you that you will probably receiving many more letters in the near future, because something tells me this is far from over._

_Unfortunately,  
_

_The deeply wounded and utterly alone Annabeth Chase._

_

* * *

_

Percy scanned the lunch room. He was surprised to find that only four campers sat at the Athena table. None of them were Annabeth Chase.

_**Super short! :D Thank you all for reading! Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


	5. Forced to Spar Against Percy

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did. I'm really sorry it took so long for me to write! D:  
**_

Annabeth completely ignored Percy for two days, avoiding him at all costs and even skipping classes and meals to keep away from him. She couldn't face him again after what he'd done. She hid behind the excuse that she was comforting her fellow cabin members, now all but one of which were staying in their cabin all day for various reasons. It was only half a lie.

Percy was extremely lonely, but he trusted Annabeth completely, and if she thought she needed to help the kids in her cabin, she was right. So he watched over little Sarah as she got worse and worse, and kept up with his classes: the ones he had to teach and the ones in which he had to learn.

* * *

There was a knock at the door. Annabeth didn't want to see anyone, so she ignored it. She pressed a cool cloth to a young camper's face, looking mournfully at the pale, sick child.

The knock came again, more insistent this time. Annabeth stood up, resisting the urge to shout "go away!" to whoever was at the door.

"Please don't be Percy, _please_ don't be Percy," she murmured under her breath. She looked out the window. It wasn't Percy.

"Annabeth!" Chiron grinned as she opened the door. "I need you for something . . ."

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, your sword fighting class is short a few today, and Percy needs a sparring partner. He requested you. He says he knows you are busy helping out and all, but he is getting tired of beating everyone. He needs a challenge," said Chiron.

"No way."

"Please, Annabeth. You need a break!"

"I'm not doing it," Annabeth said defiantly.

"Oh, yes you are!" Chiron replied.

"Oh, no I'm not!"

"Why not?" asked Chiron.

"Because I need to stay with my cabin," Annabeth replied hastily. Chiron grinned.

"Ah, well that is where you are wrong. Juniper said she would be happy to do it for you."

"Well . . . I'm not going."

"Yes, you've said that. But now you have a replacement, so what is your other reason?"

Annabeth thought about the real reason she wouldn't go. Percy. But she couldn't tell Chiron without explaining, and she definitely didn't want to explain. Chiron laughed.

"Ha! Just as I suspected. You have no reason." Before Annabeth could react, he swept her up and onto his back, galloping toward the arena as fast as he could.

When they reached it, Percy was there, waiting happily on a bench. He was sweating, and he took sips of water from a bottle every few seconds.

"Annabeth!" he cried when he saw her, jumping up. "I've missed you! Come on!" Percy motioned with his sword for her to join him in the center of the arena. He downed the rest of his bottle and tossed it somewhere behind him as he moved towards her.

Annabeth turned and tried to run, but Chiron stopped her. "No!" she cried. "I'm not fighting him!"

Chiron continued to push her towards Percy, and she stopped protesting. She couldn't let him _see_ that she was upset. Percy dropped into a fighting stance a few feet away from her, and she soon followed, drawing her knife to go against his sword. Annabeth had been determined to not let him see her eyes, but there was no hope of that now. One couldn't fight without making eye contact. Or else One would die.

"Ready?" asked Chiron from beside them. Annabeth met Percy's eyes and saw that he was smiling. She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling back. He had the most perfect crooked smile, and it was nearly impossible for it not to be contagious. Annabeth couldn't believe he was still pretending everything was okay between them.

"Ready," Percy said confidently.

"Annabeth?" Chiron asked. Annabeth hesitated, then said, "Ready."

"Begin!"

Neither demigod moved.

"I said begin!" reminded Chiron.

His words set Percy into action, but Annabeth stood still. Percy lashed out and made a small cut on Annabeth's lower arm, drawing blood immediately. Annabeth let out a small cry and bit her lip.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" Percy asked.

"I . . . Fine." Annabeth set her jaw, raised her knife and prepared for another attack. She wouldn't let him see the pain he had caused her. Emotional or physical.

The two half-bloods began to circle each other, both anticipating the others every move. When Percy lunged, Annabeth parried, and vice versa. In fact, it was so easy that Percy began to relax completely, and Annabeth began to get blows past his defenses. Two landed on his armour, then another, then Annabeth's knife slashed at his sword arm, leaving a deep, angry gash. Percy cried out, but Annabeth kept fighting, not even stopping to wonder whether or not he was alright.

A crowd had gathered, and when they saw that Annabeth was winning, someone started a chant of Percy's name. The campers erupted in cheers as Percy fought harder, and the chanting became louder and louder. Annabeth wanted nothing more than to cover her ears and scream for all she was worth, but she couldn't afford to leave herself unguarded like that.

Annabeth pressed her teeth together until they hurt, but nothing helped her. She was weakening just by hearing Percy's name shouted over and over and over again. Percy had the upper hand again.

Suddenly, Annabeth heard a familiar voice scream her name louder than the others calling Percy's. "Annabeth! Annabeth! Annabeth! Annabeth!" The other campers caught on, and soon there were only a few who chanted Percy's name. The voice made anger flow through her again. No, not just anger. _Rage_. It was Clarisse.

Sure enough, when Annabeth allowed herself to peel her eyes away from Percy for a split second, she caught sight of Clarisse, screaming her name as loud as she could._ How dare she?_ wondered Annabeth._ She stabbed me in the back, and now she's_ cheering _for me?_

Annabeth could barely keep herself from leaving the fight with Percy to run after Clarisse with her knife, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on. The rage she felt for Clarisse and Percy combined gave her a surge of energy, and suddenly Percy was on the ground, breathing hard, his weapon just out of his reach on the ground beside him.

The crowd cheered.

Annabeth refused to help Percy up as she always did when she knocked him down. She turned her back on him and the crowd of cheering campers and walked out of the arena without so much as a glance behind.

_**Thank you all for reading! PLEASE Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


	6. Explanations

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.  
**_

_Dear Trash Can, _

_I think I have a problem._

_I was so angry at Percy that I didn't even care that I sliced his arm open when we sparred today. I didn't help him up when I knocked him down. This rage isn't like me at all! And now I'm feeling kind of bad because of it. But my pride won't let me go apologize. I'm still angry. I mean, the Percy I think I know would have told me if something as big as kissing Clarisse had happened against his will, right? Maybe she forced him into it. Maybe she blackmailed him. That's the only way it would make sense . . ._

_Maybe I have to forgive him. But I'm not going to do that until I'm sure it wasn't his fault. And I don't know how to make sure, because I'm certainly not going to confront him about it. "Hey, Percy! I saw you kissing Clarisse the other day; was it your fault or were you pressured into it?" Yeah. Awkward._

_The confused and still angry,_

_Annabeth Chase_

_

* * *

_

"Annabeth! Annabeth! Come quickly, Annabeth!"

It was Chiron's voice. He was banging on the Athena cabin's door frantically. Annabeth opened the door and asked, "What?"

"It's Percy. He is in trouble. A hellhound is waiting just outside the camp's boundaries, and Percy seems as if he is in some sort of a trance. He is walking straight towards it, unarmed, and no one can stop him!"

Annabeth scoffed quietly, but then allowed Chiron to help her onto his back as he broke into a canter. Percy may have betrayed her, but she wasn't about to let him _die_!

They reached the edge of camp. Percy was walking at a steady, slow pace towards a hideous hellhound that was waiting just past Thalia's tree. Clarisse and a few other Ares campers were desperately attempting to stop him, but it was as if there was an invisible bubble around Percy, and no one could get near him.

Of course Clarisse would be the one trying to save him. A wave of rage hit Annabeth, and her face contorted into a menacing glare. She was about to run off, but Chiron grabbed her arm to stop her. "Look, Annabeth." Chiron pointed out a figure hiding behind Thalia's tree.

"Maya? Maya! What are you doing?" Annabeth called out. Maya turned her head and stepped out from her hiding place, caught.

"I was just . . . I . . ."

Suddenly, Clarisse was able to break through to Percy. She grabbed his arms and pulled him with all her might away from the hellhound, who was pawing at the invisible border around camp, trying to get in. Maya turned back towards the action, and then, just as quickly as she had been able to reach him, Clarisse was yanked out of Percy's way by some invisible force.

"It's Maya! She is doing this!" Chiron hissed at Annabeth. "You have to stop her!"

"Me? How?"

"Use your powers!"

"What? I haven't practiced! I don't even remember . . ."

"Just do it!"

Annabeth concentrated on reaching out with her mind, but when she brushed against Maya's, she was slammed back by a strong force. Annabeth fell to the ground.

"I'm not strong enough!"

"We need the others." Chiron's voice sounded extremely calm.

"The others?"

"We need your half-brothers and sisters."

"But-"

Chiron had already taken off towards the cabins.

Annabeth continued to try to break Maya's concentration. She even called one of the Ares campers to go distract Maya by pinning her to the ground, but Maya was so strong, she was able to keep people away from herself as well as Percy.

Athena campers started to arrive. Some sick, some wounded, some brokenhearted. Most just lay on the grass in their misery, while some attempted to help with the situation. But nothing was working. Percy had nearly reached Thalia's tree, and no one had been able to stop him or Maya.

Finally, Chiron arrived with the last camper: Sarah Sterling. She looked _awful_. Most of her face was swollen and red, and she was gasping for breath painfully, as if it hurt her to do so.

"Athena campers! I know you are all having trouble dealing with personal issues, but I am in desperate need of your help. Most of you are aware that you have strong minds which you have inherited from your mother. Each of you has the ability, to some extent, to use a mild form of mind control. Some of you have more power than others, but you are all able. Typically, this mind control only works on mortals, however, with enough power, half-bloods may be affected as well. I know I strongly discourage the use of this power, but right now I am encouraging it. Maya must be stopped. I want you all to focus on one thing, and one thing only. Break through to Maya's mind and freeze her so she is unable to move. Good luck."

When Chiron had finished his speech, the campers all reached out at once and pressed against Maya's mental barriers. The power was so great, the invisible wall shattered, and Maya's mind was exposed. It didn't take long for the campers to completely immobilize her. Then, Annabeth went after Percy.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh? What? Where am I?" Percy's eyes widened when he saw the hellhound. "What just happened?"

"Oh. Right. I forgot. When a victim's mind is tampered with, they don't remember a thing."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

A scream pierced the air. In her immobilization, Maya had fallen outside of the camp's boundaries, and the hellhound had gone after her. Annabeth watched as Percy ran towards the hellhound, and with a mighty battle cry, slit its throat. It dissolved into dust, leaving nothing but a wounded camper lying on the ground.

Annabeth ran towards Maya and fell on her knees by her side. "Are you alright?"

"Fine . . ." Maya said, but a quick look at her neck told Annabeth that she wasn't at all fine. The hellhound had taken a huge bite out of her neck, and she was bleeding profusely as well as having extreme difficulty breathing.

"We need to get some help over here!" Annabeth called out. Some campers ran towards the Big House for a stretcher. Percy knelt next to Annabeth.

"She doesn't look good," he said.

"I know."

"I . . . I'm so sorry . . . I didn't want . . . to hurt you . . ." Maya said between labored breaths. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Sarah! Sarah needs the antidote! It's in . . . my room. Under my pillow."

"I'll go get it," Clarisse said from over Annabeth's shoulder. Annabeth scowled, but didn't say a word.

"I didn't . . . want to cause . . . you pain . . . I was blackmailed. By Nemesis. She knew a secret. It would have . . . ruined me. She threatened to tell my secret . . . and then tear my limbs off and . . . drown me in the Styx. I was scared . . . She wanted revenge on our mother. So I did what she told me. I caused you . . . pain so that Athena would feel pain. I disgraced my mom . . . as well as hurt her. But I had no choice."

"Everyone has a choice," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, well, you try being threatened to be killed by a goddess," said Percy. "Not much of a choice."

By then the stretcher had arrived, and the campers who had brought it began to attempt to ease Maya onto it. "No!" she protested. "I'm as . . . good as dead. Help Sarah." They obeyed reluctantly.

"I'm so sorry, Annabeth. It was . . . all my fault. Everything."

"Even Percy and Clarisse?"

"That too."

"Wait a minute. What about me and Clarisse?" asked Percy, confused.

"Tell you later," said Annabeth.

"Just . . . Make sure everyone knows . . . that I'm sorry . . ." Maya said.

"I . . . I forgive you, Maya," said Annabeth.

Maya's face turned from troubled to peaceful. "Thank . . . you," she said. Then it was as if her entire body gave a shudder and she went limp.

_**Thank you all for reading! PLEASE Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


	7. A Walk on the Beach

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.**_

Annabeth and Percy watched as Maya's burial shroud went up in flames. "She was a good girl," Annabeth had said minutes before. She wanted Maya to be remembered as the person she really was, not the person she had been blackmailed into being.

Percy squeezed Annabeth's hand. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked around at the faces of the campers. So much had happened in the past few days. Many Athena campers had left for home early that morning. Others were making amends with their friends and/or boyfriends and girlfriends, and making things right with parents. Everything was getting better. But none of that made up for the fact that the best kept secret of the children of Athena had been demonstrated in full view of the other campers.

* * *

"So what was it you said you needed to explain to me?" Percy asked Annabeth. Dodging the harpies, they had met to take a walk on the beach after curfew, just like they used to.

"Oh. Right. Well, I guess you've heard about the Athena kids' powers by now."

"Yeah."

"Well, just like you can control water, Thalia can use lightning, and Nico can summon ghosts, we have a power other than just being major geeks. Our minds our really strong, seeing that we are descended of the goddess that was born from Zeus' thoughts. We all have the ability to, I guess, _compell_ mortals to do something. Some are stronger than most, and the strongest can control half-bloods, too. But Chiron tells us only to use it on mortals in extreme situations. Normally manipulating the Mist works well enough."

"Yeah, but what does this have to do with me? And Clarisse?" Percy asked.

"Oh. Um, well . . ." Annabeth stalled.

"Come on, I've been dying of suspense since yesterday!"

"Fine, fine. She . . . Maya made you . . . kiss Clarisse."

"What?"

"Yeah. And then I saw it, and I was really mad at you."

"So that's why . . . When we dueled . . . I'm so sorry, Annabeth!"

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was, I let myself be-"

"You couldn't have _stopped_ her! She was strong. Really strong. Even I couldn't beat her!" Annabeth said.

"Can we just drop this subject? I want us to be happy when we're together. No more fighting. We've had enough of that lately."

"Yeah, you're right." Annabeth gave Percy a hug, then pulled back to kiss him.

"Let's always tell each other everything. Promise?" she asked.

"No promises."

"What?"

"I swear on the River Styx that I won't keep anything from you. Ever." Percy grinned.

"Oh!" Annabeth laughed. "Thank you. I swear on the River Styx that I will never keep anything from you, either. I love you, Percy Jackson."

"I love you too, Wise Girl."

_**This is the end of my tale! Thank you all for reading! Comment and tell me what you think! :)**_


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